


stand tall

by Spring_Emerald



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Tsukishima bonds with the second years, training camp arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 07:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13476807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spring_Emerald/pseuds/Spring_Emerald
Summary: This left him completely at the mercy of the second years. He doesn’t think he’s been with all of them at the same time and all by himself. He can handle Tanaka-san and Noya-san separately just fine. He usually ignores them whenever they’re causing some trouble together. He doesn’t mind Ennoshita-san since he’s mostly quiet, although he’s never really spent any time with Kinoshita-san and Narita-san, for that matter.This realization is quite unnerving.





	stand tall

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by anon over at tumblr:  
>  _"I live your writing! Can i request a haikyuu fanfic? Some tsukki being insecure about his height bc it draws him so much attention and the attention is just too much sometimes and anyone from the team (preferably the second years? ) finds out and tries to support him"_
> 
> I must say that Tsukishima is challenging to write. I hope you like it still! :)

Tsukishima’s not surprised that he’s the first one to be back in the classroom that serves as their designated sleeping room during the training camp. Honestly, he doesn’t even know where the rest of his teammates are, although, right now, it’s the least of his concern. He rather likes that he has time this time alone. He’s exhausted, after he’s been accosted by those nosy third years form other schools that he doesn’t even know, to help them out in their own practice.

Practice was exhausting, they even made it more so with their loudness.

He sits in front of his bag with a sigh, rubbing his hand on his arms and squeezes it occasionally, wincing a bit as they are still rather numb and are steadily getting sore from taking all those spikes. Just god, why is he a middle blocker again? Why did he have to be so tall that he’s the one assigned to blocking incoming balls by default?

He’s not one to usually curse his natural height, often indulges it even. He enjoys literally looming over someone smaller than him and intimidating them. But things like being irked to help out in blocking practice, and being slighted because he’s told that perhaps he’s just not good enough, (and the nerve for actually comparing him to loud mouthed shrimp), does a good job of making him feel bitter about his height.

He sighs again, which is getting uncharacteristic of him, if he says so himself. Never mind. Anyway, he doubts that they’ll ask him again. Not with the way he just left. But if they ever do, he’s going to stubbornly refuse.

And, since it doesn’t look like his teammates are going to come back any time soon, he might as well go ahead and take a shower.

He’s about to stand up but then the door loudly slides open.

“ALRIGHT! I AM THE FI- What the hell?! Tsukishima?! What are you doing here?”

Tsukishima drops his kit back in his bag in surprise and looks at Nishinoya, who is pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“Aw, dammit. And just when I thought I’m the first one in the room. What are you doing here so early?”

Tsukishima isn’t able to reply as Tanaka’s voice floated from outside of the room, followed by other footsteps.

“Noya-san!!!”

Tanaka comes into view, with a wide grin on his face, and soon after, Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita are there as well.

“Why are you blocking the doorway for?” Ennoshita scolds Nishinoya, shouldering his way inside the room, and pauses briefly when he sees Tsukishima.

“Oh, Tsukishima, you’re here,” he greets.

“Chikara! I lost! I was supposed to be the first one but Tsukishima was here already,” Nishinoya dramatically clenching his fist.

“You’re overreacting, Nishinoya,” Narita says, as he pass by him.

“We don’t even remember participating in your game,” Kinoshita adds.

Nishinoya childishly puts out his tongue at them, before he stomps inside the room and sits down, crossed leg in the middle of the floor.

“As a man, I will stand by what I said. As consequence of my loss, I will be the last one to take a shower among us, second years,” he says, punctuating it with a pounding on his chest.

Tanaka slams a hand and his shoulder. “You are so admirable, Noya-san!” He kneels beside him. “As your loyal friend, I will take this consequence with you.”

“…Ryuu.”

“Noya-san…”

Ennoshita throws his pillow and hits them both squarely at the face, much to Kinoshita and Narita’s delight.

Tsukishima thought that he could use the distraction to get out of the room unnoticed, but he had no such luck.

“Oi, Tsukishima! Where d’you think you’re going, huh?” Tanaka says, brandishing the pillow at direction. “Our seniors get to shower first, that is law.”

It is, in fact, not the law. Tsukishima, and as most the second years know very well, that year hierarchy don’t matter much to their bunch of third years. What captain cares more about is that they don’t make a ruckus wherever they go. But since Ennoshita, the most sensible out of the second year lot, did not say anything to negate it, Tsukishima thinks better than to go through his plan.

This left him completely at the mercy of the second years. He doesn’t think he’s been with all of them at the same time and all by himself. He can handle Tanaka-san and Noya-san separately just fine. He usually ignores them whenever they’re causing some trouble together. He doesn’t mind Ennoshita-san since he’s mostly quiet, although he’s never really spent any time with Kinoshita-san and Narita-san, for that matter.

This realization is quite unnerving.

He thinks of listening to his music player while waiting to avoid any awkward conversation, but he remembers that it’s not charged, and damn it, why isn’t anything going his way today?

“We didn’t see you with Yamaguchi. Where did you run off to? Your fellow first years are working their butts off getting the most out of the training camp. You should-” Nishinoya didn’t get to finish the rest of his sentence, when another pillow hit him, this time at the back of his head.

“Kazuhito! What the hell?” Narita just shrugs and tips his head to Ennoshita’s direction.

“Don’t be rude, Nishinoya. Tsukishima’s gotten enough practice.” Ennoshita then pointedly looks at Tsukishima’s reddening arms. It took all of him not to squirm and resist the urge to hide them behind his back.

Ennoshita-san’s perceptiveness is both a blessing and a curse.

“Ehhh? Why didn’t you say so?” Nishinoya says happily.

“Who did you practice with then?” Tanaka asks, squinting suspiciously at him.

Tsukishima knows there’s no way he’s getting out of it, so he tells the truth. At least the watered down, he doesn’t particularly care, it’s nothing special version of it.

“You caught the eye of another team’s ace?!”

“Tsukishima, you punk!”

Nishinoya and Tanaka say at the same time.

Tsukishima snorts out derisively. “They just noticed me because I’m tall. That’s it.”

“Oi, are you bragging?!”

“…and you think that’s a bad thing?” Ennoshita asks, ignoring Tanaka. His head is tipped to the side, looking at Tsukishima knowingly.

“Well they certainly didn’t notice me because of my blocking,” Tsukishima mumbled under his breath.

And it’s not that he  _wanted_  to be noticed because of his blocking skills, or lack thereof, either, because then, that would have given them reason to actually bother him more and work him overtime, like what they were doing to that new lanky first year.

Ugh, why is he having this conversation with them anyway.

He notice the understanding look pass over Ennoshita’s face and tries to look unaffected.

“It’s hard to be put on the spot, especially if you’re getting attention for all the wrong reasons,” Ennoshita says empathetically. “Well, for what it’s worth,” He continues, stretching his legs out, “there are definitely worse qualities to be known by. At least you’re not loud and brawly like Tanaka.”

“Hey! Take that-”

“But that’s the challenge, I suppose. There’s nothing like showing other people just what you are capable of, right?” Ennoshita quirks his lips slightly on the side, and despite him looking sleepy, there’s a glint in his eyes.

Tsukishima knows that it’s a challenge, if he ever sees one. He exhales, a bit impudently and crosses his arms. It’s not that he’s annoyed about what Ennoshita said, but rather because he knows he’s slowly taking the bait hook, line and sinker. And it’s not that his sentiment disappeared completely, it’s just that it’s replaced by something like eagerness, and he wants to squish that feeling before he does something about it, but he knows it’s too late.

And judging by the slight quirk of Ennoshita-san’s eyebrow in his direction, he knows that what he said got through Tsukishima too.

Damn his perceptiveness.

And damn if it didn’t make Tsukishima feel better.

Not a lot. Just a bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
